Aston Villa have dismissed Alex McLeish as manager after just one season with the Premier League club.
The Villans finished 16th in the league table and won just seven games in 2011/12, ending the campaign with a 2-0 defeat at Norwich City on Sunday.
McLeish met with club owner Randy Lerner on Monday morning, where he was informed he would be sacked less than a year after he took over from Gerard Houllier.
A club statement read: "The club has been disappointed with this season's results, performances and the general message these have sent to our fans.
"The board wishes to assure supporters that we are conscious in every sense that Villa expects and deserves more and we will strive to deliver this."
Villa chairman Randy Lerner said: "We need to be clear and candid with ourselves and with supporters about what we have lacked in recent years.
"Compelling play and results that instil a sense of confidence that Villa is on the right track have been plainly absent.
"The most immediate action that we can take is to look carefully at our options in terms of bringing in a new manager who sees the club's potential and embraces our collective expectations."
Shay Given, signed by McLeish, tweeted his thoughts
The Scot was an unpopular choice with supporters when he crossed the city divide from Birmingham City, after Lerner's approach for Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez proved unsuccessful. The Latics finished five points and one place ahead of the Villans.
McLeish also took Birmingham down to the Championship in 2011, and although the Blues did win the League Cup under the 53-year-old's stewardship, Villa were eliminated in the third round by Bolton Wanderers this season.
In the FA Cup meanwhile, they were knocked out 3-2 by Arsenal in the fourth round despite leading the Gunners 2-0 at half-time.
McLeish has been forced to operate under tight financial parameters at Villa Park as the club have sought to slash costs from Martin O'Neill's reign. Emile Heskey was signed on £60,000 a week wages in January 2009.
McLeish contacted ex-Villan Stan Collymore
Stewart Downing was sold to Liverpool for £20m and Ashley Young to Manchester United for £17m last summer, a year after James Milner departed for £26m to Manchester City.
Other squad members such as John Carew, Luke Young and Brad Friedel left as Lerner sought to trim the club's swelling wage bill.
Speaking about the Norwich defeat on Sunday, McLeish bemoaned a "rotten" display by his players.
He said: “You can’t start fearing for your job at any time. I think that would be really negative. I’ll be going into the meeting as positive as possible.
“We’ll be talking about change. There’s no doubt we need to change things. I’ve got to get a team that’s out on the pitch and is a kind of extension of myself.
“I’m not a quitter. I’ve been determined all my life. I’ve been quite successful in my career."
Norwich chief executive David McNally has already stressed his club would not welcome any approach for their manager, and leading contender to replace McLeish, Paul Lambert.
He told BBC Radio Norfolk: "We would not welcome any enquiry for our football manager or any of the club's football players. We will do everything we can and fight this as hard as we have ever fought."
"If I was at another football club and I was looking for another manager he'd be top of my list. In any business you need to look at what might happen - the what ifs. But we are focused on keeping our manager and the footballers he wants to retain at the club and to bring in better footballers to complement the club.
"I want other clubs to covet our manager and to want our players, because if they do that means we're doing something right. It is almost obvious, isn't it, that clubs would like to have them at their football club."
William Hill odds for next Villa manager
7/4 Martinez
5/2 Lambert
10/1 Neil Lennon/RafaelBenitez
12/1 Mick McCarthy/Ole Gunnar Solskjaer/Alan Curbishley/Bob Bradley/Brendan Rodgers/Kevin MacDonald
14/1 Roberto di Matteo
